One path would likely lead to a long career in the military, while the other pointed him toward years of work in law enforcement. It all came down to recruitment.

The Texas Department of Public Safety reached out to him, and McCraw responded in 1977 by signing on as a state trooper in Canyon.

He did well, or at least well enough for Gov. Rick Perry to name McCraw the 12th director in the 74-year history of DPS 32 years later.

After years of work in the trenches - he was a narcotics investigator in Amarillo, later worked for the FBI and was named the state's Homeland Security director in 2004 - McCraw takes over an agency of 8,269 employees and a $1 billion budget.

He also inherits an agency that state lawmakers believe is in desperate need of reform because of outdated operational methods.

DPS "will be more pro-active instead of reactive," he said, referring in part to the growing threat of gang violence by Mexican drug cartels.

"What those criminal organizations do impact Amarillo and everyone in Texas," he said. "Our mission is to protect the people of Texas."

McCraw, born in El Paso 55 years ago, said his first job in Canyon and then work as a narcotics investigator for the agency's office in Amarillo shaped his law enforcement career.

"I went to recruit school and of course back then it was 18 weeks, and I was fortunate enough that I was able to go right back to Randall County," he said. "I've said a couple of times since I've had this job that the Department of Public Safety is my first love and my last love, and it's because of the tremendous people it has."

After working as a trooper in Canyon, McCraw was promoted to narcotics investigator and worked the streets of Amarillo. In 1983, he joined the FBI, and his career took him to Dallas, Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, San Antonio, Tucson, Ariz., and Washington, D.C.

Gov. Rick Perry later appointed him to lead the state's Department of Homeland Security. Then came his most challenging assignment when Perry named him head of DPS on July 17.

The governor said McCraw will not only work diligently to suppress crime but also will modernize DPS.

"I am certain the entire DPS organization, from administrators to troopers on our highways, will find that Steve's visionary leadership is exactly what the agency needs to reach the next level of success," Perry said.

McCraw has allies in the Legislature who echo Perry's sentiments, including Rep. David Swinford of Dumas.

"Steve is very smart, and I don't think the governor could have done a better job in picking a director," Swinford said.

As chairman of the House State Affairs Committee and the co-author of a border security bill in 2007, a legislative priority that year, Swinford worked closely with McCraw and his Homeland Security staff.

"I have a great respect for the DPS, and I think Steve is going to make it a better agency," Swinford said. "It's not a bad agency, it just needs to be modernized and brought up to date."